Emotions |

James – Lang Theory,

Canon –Bard Theory
BY: HENNA ZAHRA
Theories of Emotion in Psychology:

Emotion is a complex
psychophysiological experience that we
experience as a result of our interactions
with our environment. There are positive
emotions and negative emotions, and
these emotions can be related to an
object, an event, social emotions, self-
appraisal emotions, etc.
Cont…
 Some emotions are innate. For example:
love, care, joy, surprise, anger and fear.
These are known as primary emotions.
Secondary emotions are those that we
learn through our experience. For
example: pride, rage, shame, neglect,
sympathy and horror.
 Here are some common theories of
emotion in psychology.
James-Lange Theory:

 The James-Lange theory of emotion was

proposed by psychologists William James and
Carl Lange. According to this theory, as we
experience different events, our nervous system
develops physical reactions to these events.
Examples of these reactions include increased
heart rate, trembling, upset stomach, etc. These
physical reactions in turn create emotional
reactions such as anger, fear and sadness.
Example:

Forexample, imagine sitting in a dark

room all by yourself. Suddenly you
hear breathing sound behind you. Your
heart rate increases and you may even
begin to tremble. You interpret these
physical responses as you are scared
and so you experience fear.
Cannon-Bard Theory:

The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion

was developed by physiologists Walter
Cannon and Philip Bard. According to
this theory, we feel the emotions and
experience the physiological reactions
such as sweating, trembling and
muscle tension simultaneously.
Example:

For example, you are in a dark room all

by yourself and suddenly you hear
breathing sound nearby. According to
the Cannon-Bard theory, your heart rate
increases and you begin to tremble.
While you are experiencing these
physical reactions, you also experience
the emotion of fear.
Main Difference b/w the two:

 James-Lange Theory:
 Physiological arousal comes before
Emotion.

 Cannon-Bard Theory:
 Physiological Arousal comes with
Emotion.